Racing: Lemonade from Lemons

Just add sugar

you train hard, you reap the results of that effort. Yet at times, circumstances dash our expectations. Take the cases of two of the most successful and talented runners ever, who experienced bitter disappointment in 2000.

Catherine Ndereba of Kenya ran last April’s Boston Marathon because her country had designated the race as one of its Olympic trials. She won in 2:26:11, outdueling 1996 Olympic marathon champ Fatuma Roba, yet was passed over for an Olympic berth. "I was very frustrated," Ndereba admits. "I did what I was supposed to do, but I wasn’t selected."

Rather than stew over it, Ndereba focused on her racing, racking up a string of road wins. "These things happen. I just go back to my training, and try to be philosophical about it."

Khalid Khannouchi’s 2000 Olympic dreams ended when an ill-timed injury prevented him from competing in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, held just days after his long-delayed U.S. citizenship application came through last May. "Of course it was difficult," Khannouchi says. "I wanted so much to go to the Trials and the Olympics, but my body just said no. But this sport has taught me not to be surprised. Even when I am running well, I know I can go to a race and be beaten because somebody has a great day."

"When I was a boy playing soccer, I’d go home and cry when I lost," says Khannouchi. "I hate losing, but now I use losses and setbacks as motivation." Despite racing "at about 90%" due to downtime while his injuries healed, Khannouchi set a PR in his third-place finish at Falmouth and won the Philadelphia Distance Run and Chicago Marathon, as did Ndereba.

We lesser mortals can learn to put a similarly positive spin on racing-related misfortunes. If you’re closed out of the marathon of your choice, channel your energy into training all the harder for an alternate race. If you don’t make varsity, take the opportunity to map out a long-term improvement plan with your coach. "The best runners have all had losses and setbacks," says Khannouchi. "You cannot make a champion without disappointment."